50 Costly Secrets That Companies Can’t Afford To Let Slip

That unions work and you should join/form one.

As a rule, an employer needs you more than an employee does.

I don't know about the hyperbole of losing millions, however most employees who have never been in management don't realize how hard it is to find a good employee, so unless you're in a high turnover job with a revolving door of low wage earners, your manager is more open to your needs than your manager lets on. Don't be afraid to seek better working conditions, an out of cycle pay increase or even an internal transfer, if you're any good at your job. Your manager is easier to replace than you are.

You cannot be fired for jury duty. Most jury duty summons will explicitly state this outright on the summons itself. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to your face.

And no, at-will employment does NOT supersede this; jury duty is federally protected, even in at-will states. Even if you get fired under different circumstances, the timing *alone* could subject your employer to the court's scrutiny (especially in states like Pennsylvania and California), which in many cases will NOT end well for them.

My friend's former boss learned this the hard way.

EDIT: And while we're talking about the at-will doctrine, employers and employees alike sometimes forget that it applies BOTH ways.

Sure, you can fire anyone for nearly any reason (except certain protected reasons like jury duty and pregnancy, among others) or no reason... BUT they can also QUIT for any reason or no reason. And they do not need to give you 2 weeks notice. If I tell you I quit, that means I **QUIT**, and you **cannot** stop me.

Other developed countries have statutory worker protections such as vacation pay and parental leave far more generous than what Americans get, none of this "unlimited leave" which people are afraid to take. In Sweden for example, each parent gets a year of paid parental leave not this two weeks for one parent BS.

That some companies abuse the hell out of Autistic Employees by underpaying them or by literally exploiting their kindness & putting them under immense stress while saying they're providing them jobs.

That losing your current job position isn't the end of your life. I have seen people hanging on toxic or low wage jobs for years exactly because of this fear. Employers make them believe that they cant do better than that.

What "wage theft" is and that it's a crime.

Even an inattentive employer can do it by accident. S****y employers systematize it and steal millions from people.

That you can claim unemployment in the u.s. even if you are still working. If they cut your hours enough to where you're no longer making the same kind of money you were.You can file for unemployment.

( My knowledge may be a little bit dated).

Most non-competes are illegal under "restraint of trade" laws. Its really just an attempt at employers getting folks thinking they are trapped there or would have to move or not work in their field in their area. its not legal. Mainly because it allows employers to start a***ing employees, freezing wages/promotions etc. Ask to make it a yearly renewed one with no compete/no fire agreed to by each. I doubt you would get it, but they certainly would respect you knowing exactly what they are asking of you, and expecting the same in return.

Dead peasant insurance aka "Corporate-Owned Life Insurance" (COLI). It's when a company takes out a life insurance policy on an employee, almost always without their knowledge, and names the company as the beneficiary. If the employee dies, the company gets the payout. They can profit off of your death. Often, they will profit MORE from an industrial accident than they will have to pay out in settlement or insurance premiums going up. But they will also profit from a non-work related death, like if you get hit by a car on the weekend.

And if the policy is kept even after the employee leaves, it's still good.

Wal Mart did it. Winn Dixie did it. Dow. Proctor and Gamble. It's not unusual.

Now there are laws requiring disclosure but I am not sure how many people read the fine print when they sign on.

Salaried employees can still be compensated for overtime pay if they are not exempt, many salaried employees are misclassified as exempt.

If you are salaried and you get docked partial pay for partial days worked etc, you are not salaried you are hourly.

Overtime hours are recorded WEEKLY past 40 hours, not every two weeks past 80 hours. Hours worked cannot be moved in different workweeks to avoid overtime pay.

If you are a 1099 worker but get treated like an employee you more than likely have been misclassified and your employer may be screwing you out of overtime pay and for sure in taxes.

Managers and supervisors cannot be in a tip pool. Only employees.

If employees are working at multiple businesses that share common goods, managers, owners, etc., the hours at both locations need to be conglomerated for overtime pay. IE: you work 25 hours at location 1 and 20 hours at location 2 in 1 week. You don't get paid separately, you have worked 45 hours and are owed overtime for 5 hours.

This may be considered common knowledge, but you'd be surprised how much employers attempt, and do, get away with.

Unlimited vacation benefits them vs. you. Vacation time is a liability on their books and get paid out to you if/when you leave. Unlimited vacation time removes that liability, saving them millions.

The policies typically say unlimited but *at the discretion of the manager*. Unless they are total rockstars, those who ask for or take alot of vacation are often managed out for performance reasons.

That "free rewards" program everyone wants you to sign up for these days is not actually free. The company is selling your data to advertisers. That is where the real money comes from.

There is an entire industry that is solely dedicated to helping large companies thwart unionization efforts by their employees. Companies in the US pay literally hundreds of millions of dollars each year to these consultancy firms to stop their workers from asserting their right to collective bargaining. If your employer ever makes you go to a meeting or watch a video where someone tries to tell you all the ways that unions are bad for you, know that this is complete and utter b******t that has been carefully constructed and refined and utilized over and over again to keep you and people like you from getting a fair wage. THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY THEY SPEND TO DO THIS. It is not for your benefit. It is for theirs.

How much value you actually bring to a company. Especially if you work in administrative, low paid positions. Sales supports etc, enable companies to make a hell of a lot of money.

Not millions but hundreds of thousands of dollars ...


1. At the end of every year employers get to keep keep all their employees' unclaimed flex spending dollars.

2. In my k-12 school district teachers can't take all their PTO bc the district can't find enough subs to cover requested PTO. They claim there is a shortage of sub teachers. The truth is their sub pay is too low so the subs take work in higher paying districts. .

You can negotiate your severance.

The reason why the company missed sales goals and you didn’t get a bonus…Cause the ceo or other executive screwed it up.

Employees wound revolt in they found out how often deals are lost and their money is f****d with because of some executive mistake.

We Did layoffs cause the vp is sales has a bad strategy of the market 2 years ago that didn’t work out. So they had to fire a few dozen people. But it was that one guys fault.

I have scrolled quite a long way and haven’t seen 401k matching mentioned. If your company offers this do everything you can to make sure you get the match in full. It is free money to you. And it is money that will hugely multiply over time. Any money you put in also goes in pre tax, so it’s an even better deal for you. Usually it’s a certain amount per quarter so you need to contribute regularly over the year. Please find out if your company does this and if they do then take advantage! .